The owner of a local tattoo parlor is accused of impersonating a police officer. 28-year old Jason Lang, owner of the Laughing Buddha on Liberty Street, allegedly made a phone call to a property owner on Ellicott Street posing as a police officer in an attempt to intimidate her from renting the property to a potential competitor. State Police Officers say Lang turned himself in and was cooperative. He has been charged with criminal impersonation in the 2nd and aggravated harassment 2nd. Lang was released on a ticket to appear in court.

Alexander’s fire responders, Mercy EMS and the Sheriff’s Office teamed up for their annual prom safety drills. Oakfield-Alabama also performed drills. Chief of the Oakfield Fire Department Sean Downing says the realistic drills are done each year to demonstrate to high school students what happens at the scene of a serious motor vehicle accident.
“Usually we make it as severe as we can, with multiple injuries, so we need multiple agencies to come in to assist,” said Downing. “Usually there is someone trapped [in the car] to show how we have to extricate a person and how long it takes to get a person out of the vehicle.”
Downing says students were chosen to be the victims during the drills and then Mercy Flight or Mercy EMS responded to the fictional scene. He says he hopes the realistic drill will convey the serious repercussions of drinking and driving and texting while driving.

A new superintendent has been selected for the Oakfield-Alabama school district. Mark Alexander has been named the new super. The district did not have to look far, Alexander has been principal of Oakfield-Alabama Elementary for the past four years. The school board noted that Alexander graduated from Oakfield-Alabama and has deep roots in the community. He will make $115,000 per year in his new position.

A local Congresswoman sent a letter to the Governor opposing the proposed 45 percent increase in toll for large trucks. The State Thruway Authority is asking for there to be a toll increase on trucks with three or more axles. Congresswoman Kathy Hochul says she disagrees with the increase. She says it would negatively impact Western New York’s economy.
“It is more than our truckers can bear, because what they’re going to do is two things: One is they are going to have to pass the cost onto the consumers because they are going to have to, jacking up the price of goods and products in our region,” says Hochul. “The second, what I’m finding is already starting to occur is that there is going to be higher use of these large trucks on our secondary roads. What is happening is that it is affecting the quality and ability of infrastructure and it will require repairs much sooner than necessary.”
Hochul says she understands they need to make some type of an increase, but she feels 45 percent is too high. Before an increase is put in place the Thruway Authority will do impact studies and holds public hearings.